The 62-year-old, who was once a caretaker, added: "Sometimes when I thought I was having a bad day because I had to move lots of chairs or do loads of manual labour, I would catch sight of someone with a disability or hardship, and that put things into perspective.

"I have been doing this for 17 years from December 1 to December 24, and I appreciate every penny donated. I'm especially grateful for the trust that people put in me. Almost £500,000 is such a huge amount to hand over.

"I do look a lot like Santa and I often get kids coming up to me, thinking I'm him. I just humour them and chat away."

Among the charities to benefit from the sit-outs this year are Meningitis Research UK, The Lapland Trust and Willies Orphan Fund.